Roots
by Lizzy2
Summary: This is a Dawn Story; Dawn is going threw changes, will she turn back into her roots as the Key? Or will Buffy be able to stop it?
1. Ch 1

Roots  
  
Don't own Buffy so You can't sue..thanks.  
  
Summery; When the Key's hiding is no longer needed, Dawn begins to change back to her roots...  
  
  
  
The buzzer of Dawn's alarm clock gave a shrill cry, as her hand slammed the clock's snooze button.  
  
She turned on her side, pulling her blankets over herself.  
  
"DAWN! GET UP!" Buffy screamed as she past the open doorway.  
  
Dawn's head shot up from under the covers.  
  
"YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW!"  
  
She groaned getting up, and stretching a little. She straightened out her grey pajama tank and began her journey down the hall to her bathroom.  
  
"DAWN!" Came Buffy's cry.  
  
"I KNOW!" Dawn screamed back as she slammed the door shut behind her.  
  
"Geez." She said angerly as she took her toothbrush from the holder and ran it under the sink.  
  
"BUFFY I DON'T FEEL GOOD." She yelled hoping Buffy would let her skip.  
  
"NICE TRY!" Buffy yelled from the next room over.  
  
Worth a shot. Dawn thought as she tapped the brush against the side of the sink. She reached forward grabbing the toothpaste and gelling up the brush before bringing it to her teeth. She scrubbed boredly as she heard Willow rush down the hall muttering something about how phyc shouldn't be at seven in the morning. She spit into the sink, then began to brush again.  
  
"DAWN, HAVE YOU SEEN MY MAROON TOP?" Buffy yelled.  
  
"I THINK I SAW IT IN THE LAUNDREY ROOM." Dawn yelled back.  
  
Morning never changed, yelling, Buffy unable to find her top then asking Dawn to get it....  
  
"CAN YOU GO GET IT?" Buffy yelled.  
  
Predictable.  
  
"YES." Dawn replyed boredly as she ran her toothbrush under the faucet and placed it in the holder. Out the door she went, down the stairs, into the laundrey room.  
  
As usaul draped over the railing by the entrance. She snatched it then ran upstairs. Dawb could hear the shower running from Buffy's shower. The brunette rolled her eyes making her way into Buffy's room, past her full length mirror and threw the shirt on Buffy's bed.  
  
Dawn's forhead wrinkled in deep thought and backed up to face the mirror again.  
  
She was in shock.  
  
Dawn wasn't wearing her grey pajama bottoms. She wasn't wearing anything!  
  
She had no legs, from her pelvis to her knee caps there was nothing.  
  
"Oh my god." She whispered.  
  
  
  
hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Roots. Chapter 2, how will Buffy react to her sister returning to her original energy form? Can they stop it? Can Buffy save her sister? Or is Dawn to turn into a energy and be forgotten? Continue to find out!  
  
PLEASE R&R!! 


	2. Ch 2

Roots..Ch2  
  
"B..B..Buffy." Dawn studdered as she ran out the door as fast her feet, well what was left of her feet could carry her.  
  
"BUFFY!" Dawn screamed as she flung the door tor the bathroom opens.  
  
Buffy opened the shower curtain a small fraction and tryed to spot her brunette sister threw the mist.  
  
"Dawn what is it?"  
  
"Im gone, im gone!" Dawn screamed.  
  
Buffy grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself as she stepped out.  
  
"What?"  
  
Dawn reached over and turned the fan on to remove the fog.  
  
"Buffy..." She whispered.  
  
Buffy looked at her sister's missing area, eyes wide.  
  
"I'll call Willow." She whispered.  
  
Dawn nodded.  
  
For once Dawn wished she was going to school instead.  
  
~~~~  
  
Dawn stood silently on a chair as Willow circled her with a magnafying glass.  
  
"This is creepy." Xander pointed out from his seat on the far end of the magic shop.  
  
"More then creepy." Tara pointed out from next to Xander, looking up from identifying a slide under a microscope.  
  
"Well it looks like she hasn't gone invisible girl on us." Willow pointed out.  
  
Everyone looked cluelessly at her accept for Xander and Buffy who understand.  
  
"Nevermind, how's the slides coming Tara?" Willow replied walking over.  
  
"Truthfully, I can't really read these, it's difficult." Tara replied slowly in her very Tara like manner.  
  
Willow stood behind her, taking the lens in her hand.  
  
"Anything?" Buffy whispered.  
  
Willow looked up shaking her head slowly.  
  
"No, it shows it's there just not there.."  
  
Xander looked to Buffy.  
  
"Well that made loads of sense."  
  
"Well I can't see it but exsisting particle are there."  
  
Tara nodded looking Dawn over.  
  
"Maybe I should do a spell, to see where it is."  
  
Willow nodded as Tara headed out the door.  
  
"Everything will be ok." Willow said soothingly.  
  
"What if it doesn't what if im half Dawn half, knee's forever? I'll be a freak. What job could I get."  
  
Dawn shot a look at Xander before he could speak.  
  
"Not now. OOO! YOU KNOW WHAT I COULD BE? A CIRCUS FREAK! OH DAWN THE HALF WOMAN!"  
  
Dawn yelled.  
  
"Calm down, we don't know if stress could make it worse." Buffy said softly.  
  
"I met a circus freak once, he was very nice and-never mind." Anya said from behind the counter.  
  
Everyone didn't need to know what Anya ment. But they got it.  
  
Xander was quiet, things where a bit..uneasy between the two.  
  
Buffy turned to Dawn.  
  
"I'd get you something to eat, but-"  
  
"It could go right threw me? Thanks." Dawn replied jumping from the chair and onto the seat.  
  
"That's not it Dawn. I want to know why this is happening and stop it."  
  
Dawn looked to her feet them back up at Buffy.  
  
"What if you can't?"  
  
"What do you meen?"  
  
"Buffy, what If you can't stop this? What if it's something we can't prevent? I may fade out before we could know." Dawn replied sadly.  
  
Buffy took Dawn's head in her hand's and looked at her with determination in her eyes.  
  
"I will stop this Dawn. No matter what. I can't loose you like I lost mom."  
  
Dawn looked from Buffy's eyes, doubting her even then.  
  
"I promise." Buffy whispered.  
  
Dawn looked up into Buffy's sparkling blue eyes.  
  
"Alright."  
  
Buffy gave a half smile, then looked to Willow.  
  
"I want you to research what could be doing this, all of you."  
  
The remaing people in the room nodded and heading into different corners of the room.  
  
Buffy turned back to Dawn.  
  
"Im not going to let you down, not this time." 


	3. Ch 3

Roots Chapter 3  
  
Dawn looked at Buffy, who was behind Willow looking intetly at whatever Willow was looking at.  
  
As scared as Dawn was, she was even more afraid for Buffy.  
  
"This can't be right." Buffy whispered.  
  
"It's just a theroy Buffy."  
  
"Well it could become a bill!" Buffy yelled.  
  
"Law." Willow corrected.  
  
"Whatever! I meen this could explain everything."  
  
Willow walked over to Buffy.  
  
"Or maybe something else Buff."  
  
At that moment Tara ran into the magic shop, her face pale.  
  
"Tara, what is it?"  
  
Tara looked to Dawn then back to Buffy.  
  
"She's turning back."  
  
Dawn saw Buffy's face go pale white.  
  
"No, no, we can make her stay right? RIGHT?" Buffy said pleading more then asking.  
  
Tara only shook her head slowly.  
  
"I don't think their's a way..."  
  
"WELL THEN FIND A WAY!" Buffy yelled.  
  
It looked like a movie, emotions running wild. Dawn didn't understand it at all.  
  
"Buffy." Willow replied placing a hand soothingly on Buffy's shoulder. "We all want to help Dawn as much as you."  
  
"But your not doing anything?" Buffy replied harshly leaving Willow with a hurt look.  
  
"What's going on?" Dawn whispered as she found her voice.  
  
Buffy, Tara and Dawn all looked back at her.  
  
"Nothing Dawn."  
  
"NO TELL ME!" Dawn yelled getting agrivated.  
  
Willow looked to Buffy who only nodded.  
  
"Your turning back into the key."  
  
~~~~  
  
"How?" Buffy whispered.  
  
"The purpose for the magic, has grown out her usefulness." Tara whispered.  
  
"Not to me." Buffy whispered.  
  
"Won't our memory's be fixed? Kinda? Like she was never here." Anya asked.  
  
"I never died." Buffy said with relization.  
  
"No pain in the butt." Dawn said.  
  
Buffy looked up.  
  
"Dawn we want you here."  
  
"No I see how it is, no Dawny no pain. I get it."  
  
Buffy looked away to Willow who looked aggrivated.  
  
"I SEE IT ALL NOW, LIFE IS EASY WTHOUT DAWN IN THE WAY!" Dawn yelled.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Willow screamed.  
  
Everyone in the magic shop looked startled at Willow's outburst.  
  
"Im sick of you always assuming things. Never getting the answer. Things where hard before you where here and will always be hard even if you weren't here! You make things easier for us Dawn because we love you. So, stop with the self- pity and help us." Willow said angerily.  
  
The red head quickly gathered her things and walked toward the door.  
  
Because im not just going to sit around."  
  
Everyone watched Willow storm out the door.  
  
The magic shop carried on in silence even when she was gone. 


	4. Ch. 4

Hours past Willow's exit, the room was quiet with research and broken hearts.  
  
Suddenly the breaking of glass made them all jumped.  
  
Buffy looked at Dawn who was starring at a broken vase on the floor she was holding.  
  
"Dawn." Buffy whispered.  
  
Dawn looked up, with tears in her eyes.  
  
"My hands Buffy."  
  
Buffy's green eyes flickered to Dawn's hands which where now gone.  
  
"Oh my god Dawn." She said as she knealed down in front of Dawn taking her hands.  
  
"You hands..."  
  
Anya walked over and began to clean up the mess without complaining about costs.  
  
Tara looked up stunned at Dawn's hands.  
  
Buffy looked over to the quiet blonde.  
  
"Did you find anything?"  
  
"Somewhat, its spell to s..slow down the process of a wearing of a spell."  
  
Anya looked up from her spot on the floor.  
  
"We have all the ingrediants."  
  
It started to show how much Anya really did care about the girl.  
  
Tara nodded, walking over to the counter looking threw the jars.  
  
"Dawn, where going to make this stop." Buffy said with reassurance.  
  
Dawn nodded, fear written in her features.  
  
Xander slowly stood up, silence had clutched his throat for the last few hours.  
  
"If the spell, was peformed by, two powerful witches, maybe it would last longer."  
  
Tara looked to Xander, hoping he wasn't suggesting what she thought he was.  
  
"Xander, if your suggesting what I think you are-"  
  
Buffy cut Tara off.  
  
"Would it?"  
  
Tara looked to Buffy, with a sadness in her eyes, then slowly shook her head.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Alright, get Willow."  
  
"Buffy if you-"  
  
"We all will be their, helping. It will be as powerful as it can be to slow down the process and hopefully stop it."  
  
Tara put down the pigs feet.  
  
"It's up to Willow, if we can find her."  
  
~~~~  
  
Willow furiously typed at the keys of the computer.  
  
She stopped at a beeping, and a look of satisfaction was on her face.  
  
On the computer read.  
  
"THE LEGEND OF THE KEY."  
  
She pressed the enter key and waited for the website to load.  
  
~~~~  
  
"I called everywhere." Buffy elled slamming the phone down.  
  
"What if she's hurt."  
  
"We have to do it without her then." Anya pointed out.  
  
Buffy looked to Anya who shrugged, avoiding Xander's stare.  
  
"To slow down the process, even a little until she gets here."  
  
"But-"  
  
"BUFFY." Dawn said loudly.  
  
Buffy looked up to see Dawn's invisible area clowded in a green mist.  
  
She turned to look at Tara.  
  
"Do it."  
  
~~~~  
  
Willow looked at the pages printing out of the computer.  
  
Many by many began to print, and finally, she found the one.  
  
She gripped it reading it over intently then looked back the computer, fear clouding her features.  
  
Then she turned, looking at a picture of Buffy and Dawn smiling and hugging on a sunny day.  
  
How would Buffy survive without Dawn?  
  
Thats when Willow made her desicion.  
  
You make things easier for us Dawn because we love you.  
  
Her own words echoed in her head.  
  
~~~~  
  
Tara spread a trail of salt around the circle. Dawn sat in the middle, eyes closed with blood red berry juice painted on her head in the form of a cross.  
  
Tara sat between Xander and Anya.  
  
"Goddess of life and giving hear the whipers of your children. Slow the fate of Dawn Summers, once known as the key and provide her mortal life longer."  
  
Buffy mouth began to move as words flew from her mouth.  
  
"Goddess of life and giving, Im the slayer the one who gives the world hope from the darkness, and...uh...stuff. I have lost so much, I wish to keep the key in her mortal form."  
  
Xander went next.  
  
"Let her stay on this plane."  
  
Anya finished the spell.  
  
"Goddess,I have been Mortal for such a short time, but I relize what it must be like, to feel love, feel hope, friendship and money. Dawn Summers what giving a mortal soul, give it justice."  
  
A blue flicker feel from the salt and went forward into the heavens.  
  
Buffy opened her eyes first.  
  
"Did it work."  
  
~~~~  
  
Also sitting in a circle of sand, Willow hummed and threw herbs in the air.  
  
"I call thee, I call thee Hythero...I CALL THEE!"  
  
A burst of smoke and a snake like woman with long hair and forked tongue looked at Willow.  
  
"Why do you call me mortal?"  
  
"I once was offered the, chance of the wish.. by some demon."  
  
"Ah yes, I see." said the woman in a small snakey voice.  
  
"I was woundering, if perhaps, I took that chance. I offer a trade?"  
  
Hythero looked at Willow with her beady eyes.  
  
"It's a gift, not a trade."  
  
"Oh, I..I know. But if I give something up, perhaps, maybe you could do me a favor?"  
  
Hythero looked at Willow again, then spoke.  
  
"A bargain? as to what you ask Hythero for?"  
  
"Mortality, let the key stay in her mortal form and live out her mortal life."  
  
"And end the quest of her roots. From immortality and power."  
  
"Shes a 14 year old girl who has a sister who loves her."  
  
Hythero thought a moment.  
  
"What would you give me?"  
  
Willow looked down at her paper then back up.  
  
"My soul." 


End file.
